Veterinarian
Salary

Veterinarians in the United States can expect wages of $72K per year on average. Total incomes of Veterinarians incorporate potential for, in a few cases, more than $14K from bonuses and close to $22K from profit sharing; these performance components cause packages to range between $50K and $108K. Compensation for this group is mainly affected by the specific employer, but the particular city and tenure are influential factors as well. Female Veterinarians make up most of the survey respondents at 72 percent. Most workers in this position report high levels of job satisfaction. Unfortunately, some people in this line of work are without benefits — nearly one-third lack coverage. On the flip side, the larger part have medical insurance and roughly a third receive dental plans. The numbers in this rundown were provided by PayScale's salary survey participants.

XTotal Pay combines base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job. It does not include equity (stock) compensation, cash value of retirement benefits, or the value of other non-cash benefits (e.g. healthcare).

XTotal Pay combines base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job. It does not include equity (stock) compensation, cash value of retirement benefits, or the value of other non-cash benefits (e.g. healthcare).

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Job Description for Veterinarian

The main task of a veterinarian is to examine animals to detect and determine their health status as well as diagnose any injuries or illnesses they may be afflicted with. A veterinarian must then be capable of providing treatment, advice, and/or prescriptions to treat whatever may be ailing the sick animal. If a veterinarian is unable to treat the animal himself or herself, then he or she must be able to refer the pet's owner to a specialist who can treat the animal. In addition to treating the animal, a veterinarian must be able to professionally interact with the pet's owner(s). He or she must be able to counsel pet owners regarding the best form of treatment, as well as provide calm assistance during difficult times for a family who may have to euthanize their pet.

The work of a veterinarian is both physically and mentally demanding. The veterinarian must be capable of standing on his or her feet for long periods of time, and should be able to lift heavy patients and equipment. The work also requires the constant use of one's mental abilities. A veterinarian must always be ready to diagnose any illness or injury, as well as be able to identify the best form of treatment for both the patient and the family. A veterinarian typically works indoors in a veterinary hospital or clinic. He or she must be able to work well with many other people, including nurses, assistants, and veterinary technicians. Extensive education is required to become a veterinarian, including high school, college, and postgraduate training.

Veterinarian Tasks

Administer vaccinations and collect samples for testing for pathogens or diseases.

Veterinarian Job Listings

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Popular Employer Salaries for Veterinarian

The biggest paychecks can be found at VCA Antech — the median salary there is $99K; however, employees are subject to a wide range in pay, with the lowest salaries sitting near $63K and highest ones in the neighborhood of $126K.

VCA Animal Hospital offers the lowest compensation; the median salary there averages out to only $75K. The pay range is also narrow, ranging between $64K and $133K.

Popular Skills for Veterinarian

This chart shows the most popular skills for this job and what effect each skill has on pay.

Survey results suggest that Veterinarians put a wide range of professional skills to use. Most notably, skills in Ultrasound, Emergency Room, Emergency Medicine, and Surgery are correlated to pay that is above average, with boosts between 11 percent and 19 percent. Those educated in Medicine / Surgery tend to be well versed in General Surgery.

Pay by Experience Level for Veterinarian

Median of all compensation (including tips, bonus, and overtime) by years of experience.

For Veterinarians, level of experience appears to be a somewhat less important part of the salary calculation — more experience does not correlate to noticeably higher pay. Although individuals who have less than five years' experience earn $69K on average, people with five to 10 years benefit from a notably larger average of $80K. The average pay reported by folks with 10 to 20 years of experience is around $86K. People who have worked for more than 20 years report a median income of $88K, which is barely higher than the median for folks with 10 to 20 years of experience.

Pay Difference by Location

Home to some of the best pay for Veterinarians, New York offers exceptional salaries, 27 percent above the national average. Veterinarians will also find cushy salaries in San Diego (+18 percent), Los Angeles (+18 percent), Sacramento (+14 percent), and San Francisco (+13 percent). Seattle is home to the smallest salaries in the field, lagging the national average by 4 percent.